From our "No Good Deed Goes Unpunished" file, a bizarre and telling story of Paris socialists who invited 200 homeless migrants to a theater in January as part of a "Reinventing the Reception of Refugees in France" conference.
By all reports, the conference was a success. The only problem was that the 200 migrants refused to leave after the conference was over.
The socialist managers of the historic theater, built in 1862, said the theater was not "designed or equipped for accommodation on such a scale" but that they would "maintain its activity to allow the venue to remain open to its various audiences."
That didn't last long. Shortly after the migrants took up residence, the managers were forced to cancel performances and other events as the migrants spread out and made themselves at home.
Le théâtre parisien de la Gaîté lyrique est toujours occupé par des migrants.
— gauchediarrhée (@gauchecaca) January 31, 2025
Les salariés voyant venir la faillite et le chômage commencent enfin à s'en émouvoir et demandent à ce que tout ce petit monde soit relogé ailleurs.
Cet épisode montre bien le fonctionnement de la bien… pic.twitter.com/3POI6gNOZY
Soon, the number of migrants at the theater had risen to 450. The socialists say that they're all unaccompanied minors under the age of 18, but that's obviously a crock.
La Gaité Lyrique. 300 migrants occupent le théâtre depuis 1 mois. Le Théâtre au bord du gouffre. La faillite guette. La direction soutient les migrants !!! On nage en plein délire 🙄👎 pic.twitter.com/gPmlQOXgBB
— Sir Sean Sitges (@SitgesFranck) January 15, 2025
The theater is now an unsanitary mess, with just four toilets and no showers for the "residents."
The socialist managers have decided enough is enough and are pulling out.
They want the national government to take over. But French President Emanuel Macron has problems of his own, and he and his ministers are ignoring the socialist's pleas for assistance.
The Collectif des Jeunes du Parc de Belleville, the group that organized the occupation, criticized the age test as "racist and expedition."
This has led to ‘untenable promiscuity’ leading to increasing violence, say management, who are facing bankruptcy.
A statement released by them on Thursday reads: ‘Without intervention by the authorities by Friday, the Gaîté Lyrique company and its teams will be forced to leave the building.’
It says they will ‘suspend the execution of the contracts of service providers in charge of fire safety, security, hygiene and cleanliness, maintenance, and waste collection.’
Management warn of an ‘explosive and undignified situation’ that is ‘increasing in severity’.
Beyond fights breaking out because of sexual tensions, migrants have been seen dealing and using drugs.
Staff have been acting as ‘on-site security guards, even though this is neither their skill set nor their job,’ says the statement.
A judge at the Paris Administrative Court ordered the building cleared on Feb. 13 because of the horrendous sanitary conditions in the theater. The Paris city council, run by socialists and greens, refused to involve the police.
Businesses in the area that cater to the theater crowd are also suffering.
"They are ruining my business," said Elia, the manager of a bistro near the theater.
"They hang around outside my terrace, smoking joints and fighting among themselves. Not only do we no longer get theatregoers because the theatre is shut but we don't get passers-by either. They're being frightened away by all these young men."
When concern about appearing to be "racist" overrides the impulse of self-preservation, the results are predictable. This is the opening act in a tragedy that will be visited on several European countries what prefer virtue signaling to survival.
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